The Benefits Of Launching With Rocket Lab
With so many different options for purchasing a launch service, companies such as Rocket Lab do everything in their power to make their service stand out. In order to make it more appealing, they offer a wide range of benefits that are unique and special to the company. This works towards the greater goal of filling the increasing demand for small satellite and constellation launch services.
There are a lot of different factors when considering a launch provider. Rocket Lab works to stand out with a dedicated plan, multiple options, and additional benefits. All of which makes the choice for customers choosing Rocket Lab much easier, more efficient, and cheaper than many other options. The better a service Rocket Lab can offer, the more customers the company will get overtime.
The increasing competition within the space industry is helping not only drive down costs but spark more innovation. Rocket Lab’s list of benefits for choosing their service can be a good example of this. While the company is only using Electron, for the time being, they have big plans for the future. If successful, it will expand the company’s capabilities and increase its offer to different customers and services.
What Does Rocket Lab Offer?
Right now, Rocket Lab is using the Electron launch vehicle to consistently send a large list of payloads to different Earth orbits and beyond. The company describes itself as an end-to-end space company delivering reliable launch services, spacecraft, satellite components, and on-orbit management. In addition, with their Electron rocket and Photon spacecraft, they have simplified space, making it easy and affordable for companies, scientists, researchers, governments, entrepreneurs, and students alike, to get their ideas to orbit. This all works towards the greater goal of increasing our access to space for everyone. While Electron is a small-lift launch vehicle, Photon is an additional spacecraft within the rocket that acts as a third stage and increases Electron’s capabilities significantly.
This has helped Rocket Lab open up a solar system of possibilities for innovation, exploration, and infrastructure in space to make and improve life on Earth. One of the main ways Rocket Lab makes money and continues to develop and innovate is by selling launch services. This is a key component of the current and future plans of the company. So far more than 100 satellites have been deployed to orbit for customers across commercial, civil, defense, and academic sectors. Here I will go more in-depth into what exactly Rocket Lab offers and what makes the company so appealing to different types of customers around the world.
Service Features
Dedicated Plan – The first important aspect of working and launching with Rocket Lab is the set path and plan provided. Rocket Lab mentions that the first important step is planning and booking a mission. Here their team will work with customers to tailor every aspect of your mission. Rocket Lab has put a lot of time and effort into streamlining the process to be simple, flexible, and collaborative. Once the plan is set you move on to the analysis phase of the mission. Here Rocket Lab’s Mission Management team will work with customers through the mission assurance program before the launch date. Specifically, they take care of flight environments, coupled loads analysis, mission reviews, and more. The next important phase is payload processing.
One of the major benefits of Rocket Lab as a launch service is its expansive options. At this phase, you choose from three payload processing facilities across Launch Complex 1, 2, and Rocket Lab’s headquarters. Each of these facilities is home to a ISO8 Class 100k cleanrooms to ensure humidity, temperature, and particle control. Lastly, you have the launch of your payload. Here customers can get live views of the launch, real-time communication with Rocket Lab’s Mission Management Team, state vectors in rapid time, and fast post-launch reporting.
Options – The next appealing feature of Rocket Lab’s launch service is the options available. One of the first things a customer can pick is whether they want a dedicated or rideshare mission. Starting with dedicated, they end up with an entire rocket and launch to themselves. This allows the customer to choose their orbit, rocket, launch schedule, and launch site. This amount of control appeals to many different customers and encourages them to go the dedicated route with Rocket Lab. However, this is much more expensive than the rideshare option. Here customers buy a portion of space within the fairings along with multiple other companies and payloads. Using the Kick Stage’s ability to relight its engine, Rocket Lab can support plane changes, orbit raising, sustained low orbits, and staggered deployment. This means customers can save money and still have their satellite deployed to precise and individual orbits.
The next choice customers have when working with Rocket Lab is the launch complex. Rocket Lab offers two different launch sites. This includes Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, and Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, USA. Starting with Launch Complex 1, this site can accommodate 120 flights per year and is licensed for a launch to occur every 72 hours. At this site, it’s possible to reach orbital inclinations from SSO through 39 degrees. This provides a lot of options at a lower cost. Taking a look at Launch Complex 2, you have a site tailored specifically for U.S. government small satellite missions.
Additional Benefits – The last important aspect of Rocket Lab’s launch service that helps make it stand out are multiple additional benefits. Starting with the ability to launch on-demand. Rocket Lab mentions they have “streamlined the path to orbit, enabling rapid call-up launch to support urgent missions, including constellation replenishment.” The faster and smoother the process the happier a customer is. Often times within the space industry this process can be very slow and time-consuming. Rocket Lab has worked to change this over time. Another benefit is the wide range of schedule control. This consists of three launch pads across two countries.
Combined this facilitates up to 132 launch slots each year. Rocket Lab makes sure to put the customer in control enabling launch timing down to the second. When customers are launching multi-million dollar satellites the most appealing option often has to do with the amount of control they have throughout the launch process. Finally, you have tailored orbits. A wide range is offered including Mid-inclination, Sun Synchronous Orbit, Geostationary Transfer Orbit, or Cislunar. Electron is a very powerful and impressive launch vehicle however with the addition of a kick stage or spacecraft such as Photon, the capabilities are significantly increased. A great example of this is Rocket Lab’s upcoming mission to the Moon with only Electron and Photon.
Conclusion
With more and more competition within the space industry, companies like Rocket Lab have to stand out. This not only means creating an innovative and efficient launch vehicle like Electron, but also a very appealing launch service. The way Rocket Lab does this is with a dedicated plan, multiple options, and many additional benefits. All of which combine into a single launch service that is a great option for different customers around the world. The better Rocket Lab’s service is the more money and launches they get. The company is working on bigger and better plans for the future including Neutron which will help expand their capabilities and offer more services to different customers. We will have to wait and see how Rocket Lab continues to develop and the impact it has on the space industry.